Have you still got space on your plate after all those great April K-Drama offerings? Even if you don’t, you may want to make room after seeing May 2023’s incredible lineup!
The first notable must-watch is Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938, the follow-up to tvN’s hit drama. Lee Dong-Wook returns in the lead role as a gumiho (nine-tailed fox) who travels back in time to solve a case.
The show’s original cast will be back, including Kim Beom as the scene-stealing Lee Rang and former female lead Jo Bo-Ah in a cameo role.
The original Tale of the Nine-Tailed was a rating hit for tvN, dominating the Wednesday/Thursday timeslot at the time. The sequel airs in the Saturday/Sunday timeslot on May 6, making it the perfect weekend watch.
If what you are seeking is a high-adrenaline watch, then you’ll want to add Netflix’s sci-fi offering Black Knight to your list. Set in 2070 in a world decimated by toxic pollution, society relies heavily on delivery services by “knights” who not only deliver the packages but protect them from theft.
The setup is a gritty action take on a rather offbeat plot concept, but given the acting chops of leads Kim Woo Bin and Esom, it should be rather solid.
All six episodes of this apocalyptic tale will drop on Friday, May 12, which would be a good way to spend a weekend.
If you like your dramas with a solid romance angle, two workplace romance dramas may fit the bill. Race puts office politics front and center, with a marketer who lacks academic background but makes up for it in perseverance, while the other lead not so much.
Oh! Youngsimi is set in the world of tv variety shows, and the female lead producer inadvertently casts her childhood friend and former suitor as a guest. Lee Min Jae, who played student Seo Geon Hoo in Crash Course in Romance, is a supporting lead here.
Lee Na Young, last seen five years ago in Romance is a Bonus Book, returns in the soothing slice-of-life drama, Park Ha Kyung’s Journey, about a teacher who sets out on weekend adventures. As she meets new people and experiences life outside her world, she learns and grows through these new excursions.
Kim Dong Wook, the male lead in You Are My Spring, bookends the month with two different types of dramas. He starts out the month on May 1 with My Perfect Stranger, a supernatural thriller where he stars as a broadcast journalist who travels back in time to solve a case (the second time-travel K-Drama this month!).
He ends the month on May 29 with Delightfully Deceitful, where he plays a lawyer who joins forces with a con artist. (Kim Dong Wook also meets up with his You Are My Spring co-star, Yoon Bak, in this drama.)
May 2023 looks like another great month for K-Dramas!
Anyway, let’s break down the new and upcoming K-Dramas in May 2023. Thanks to AsianWiki and MyDramaList for the plot summaries.
New Upcoming K-Dramas to Watch in May 2023
My Perfect Stranger
Genre: Mystery, Romance, Sci-Fi
Stars: Kim Dong Wook, Jin Ki Joo
Episodes: 16
Air date: May 1
Yoon Hae-Joon started his career at a broadcasting station as a local news reporter. He now works as an anchor for the weekend news program and is the youngest anchor to ever work at the broadcasting station.
He is calm and straightforward as a journalist and kind to people in his personal life.
Baek Yoon-Young dreamed of becoming a writer, but, to support herself, she works at a publishing company. She has a difficult relationship with her mother.
Yoon Hae-Joon and Baek Yoon-Young somehow both travel back in time to the year 1987. There, Yoon Hae-Joon tries to find the truth behind a serial murder case, and Baek Yoon-Young tries to prevent her parents from marrying.
Their goals seem completely unrelated, but they soon realize that their objectives are connected.
All That We Loved
Genre: Romance, Youth
Stars: Oh Se Hun, Jang Yeo Bin, Jo Joon Young
Episodes: 8
Air Date: May 5
Go Yoo is an 18-year-old high school student. He has nothing in the world that he is scared about, and he has many things he loves. He is excellent at playing basketball. His friend Go Joon-Hee attends the same high school. Go Joon-Hee’s academic score is always at the top of his school.
He is physically weak, and he had a kidney transplant from Go Yoo. Since then, Go Joon-Hee suffers from cellular memory syndrome (memories transferred through cells from an organ transplant).
Go Yoo and Go Joon-Hee then fall in love with a transfer student Han So-Yeon at the same time.
Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938
Genre: Historical, Horror, Romance, Fantasy
Stars: Lee Dong-Wook, Kim So-Yeon, Kim Beom
Episodes: 12
Air date: May 6
Lee Yeon gets involved in an unexpected case that leads him to travel back in time to the year 1938. There, Lee Yeon meets Ryu Hong-Joo again. She was once a guardian spirit of a mountain in the west, but in 1938 she is the owner of the best high-end restaurant Myoyeongak in the capital city of Gyeongseong.
When Ryu Hong-Joo met Lee Yeon for the first time, she was fascinated by him but struggled with her feelings. Lee Yeon also meets his younger brother Lee Rang.
Race
Genre: Business, Romance, Melodrama
Stars: Lee Yun Hee, Hong Jong Hyun
Episodes: 12
Air date: May 10
Park Yoon-Zo is an ordinary single woman. She gets a job in the PR department of a large company where her friend Ryu Jae-Min works. He keeps a clear line between his work and his personal life.
Park Yoon-Zo begins to work with Ku Yi-Jung, who is an expert in the PR field. Working with Ku Yi-Jung, Park Yoon-Zo grows as a person and PR employee.
Black Knight
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi
Stars: Kim Woo Bin, Esom
Episodes: 6
Air date: May 12
Set in the year 2071, when the world has been decimated by toxic air pollution. Only about 1 percent of the population has survived, and a strict social class now exists. People rarely leave their homes, and when they do, they wear gas masks due to the air pollution. Citizens rely heavily on parcel delivery services for their needs. Delivery drivers, known as knights, deliver the packages and also protect them from thieves.
Knight 5-8 is a legendary knight. He is also highly skilled in physical combat. He happens to meet boy Sa-Wol, who is a refugee. Sa-Wol dreams of becoming a knight, and he admires Knight 5-8. Seol-A is an officer in the Defense Intelligence Command. She saved Sa-Wol’s life and takes care of Sa-Wol like he is part of her family. Knight 5-8 helps Sa-Wol become a knight.
Oh! Youngsimi
Genre: Business, Comedy, Romance
Stars: Song Ha Yoon, Lee Dong Hae, Lee Min Jae
Episodes: 10
Air date: May 15
Oh Young-Sim is single and in her 30’s. She has worked as a TV variety show PD for 8 years. She wants to make people laugh with her TV shows, but they were always canceled due to low popularity ratings. Her career is now in a crisis.
She has a chance to produce a live entertainment show as a pilot program. For the show, Oh Young-Sim casts famous start-up founder Mark Wang as a guest. She is surprised that Mark Wang is her childhood friend, Wang Kyung-Tae.
When they were little, Wang Kyung-Tae had a crush on Oh Young-Sim, and he always let her know how he felt about her. Oh Young-Sim did not feel the same way towards Wang Kyung-Tae at the time. He then suddenly moved to the United States with his family. They lost contact with each other afterward.
Now, 20 years after they were last together, Wang Kyung-Tae appears in front of her as CEO Mark Wang. Meanwhile, PD Lee Chae-Dong works with PD Oh Young-Sim in the same variety show department. He is always on her side.
Park Ha Kyung’s Journey
Genre: Food, Life
Stars: Lee Na Young, Park Se Wan, Koo Kyo Hwan
Episodes: 8
Air date: May 24
Set in the 1990s, Park Ha-Kyung teaches Korean literature at a high school. To escape her ordinary days, Park Ha-Kyung decides to take one-day trips on Saturdays. During these trips, she walks around, eats different foods, and meets various people.
She realizes she receives comfort and empathy through her travels.
Delightfully Deceitful
Genre: Revenge
Stars: Chun Woo-hee, Kim Dong Wook, Yoon Park
Episodes: 16
Air date: May 29
Lee Ro-Woom is a genius scam artist and has the gift of gab. She has made a fortune by committing fraud. She also doesn’t have any empathy. Lee Ro-Woom becomes involved with Han Moo-Young.
He works as a lawyer and is the complete opposite of Lee Ro-Woom in terms of personality. He has great empathy for other people and is observant of their mental state. He is sometimes too immersed in others. Even he looks at people who are hurt.
He is stricken with physical abnormalities.
Happiness Battle
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Stars: Lee El, Jin Seo Yun, Cha Ye Ryun, Park Hyo Joo, Woo Jeong Won
Episodes: 16
Air date: May 31
A suspense drama depicting mothers engaged in a fierce social media battle to destroy each others’ happiness for their own, to free themselves from oppression, hurt, and secrets, and regain their true selves.
And that completes the new and upcoming K-Dramas in May 2023. What are you looking forward to the most? Comment below.
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